Legislative Priorities
LEAD is March 20 - 21, 2023
2023 Legislative Advocacy
This year NASW-FL is following four bills. We are encouraging you to send emails and / or phone calls to advocate for or against these bills.
CS/CS/SB 130: Domestic Violence: SB 130, known as "Greyson’s Law," stems from the murder-suicide of Greyson Kessler, a 4-year-old boy who was murdered by his father as a result of several violent threats towards the mother. This bill creates criteria for the courts and parents to create a rebuttable presumption of detriment to a child in parental responsibility, parenting plans and protective injunctions.
Vote YES on CS/CS/SB 130 to end domestic violence in Florida!
Click here to to take action on this bill..
HB 511/ SB1078/ SB1590: Medicaid Expansion: Medicaid provides essential health services to people with low-income. This bill would expand Medicaid to include adults who currently have an annual income that is too high to qualify for Medicaid and too low to qualify for tax credits with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Vote YES on HB 511/SB1078/SB1590 to Medicaid Expansion in Florida.
Click here to to take action on this bills.
HB 1057/SB 1102: MH Professionals Scholarships/Loan Forgiveness/Solutions: This bill aims to create and support a professional workforce to address Florida's critical shortage of mental health professionals. This bill would establish a mental health profession scholarship and loan forgiveness program for those who enroll and graduate from approved graduate programs in the state of Florida. The Department of Health may award up to 5,000 scholarships a year depending on the availability of funds.
VOTE YES ON HB 1057/SB1102 with the consideration of removing the licensure requirement from the eligibility.
Click here to to take action on this bills.
CS/HB 999: Postsecondary Educational Institutions: This bill prohibits state colleges, universities, or their direct-support organizations from including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the curriculum and outside the classroom learning experiences. This bill also permits the University Board of Trustees to perform a faculty member’s post-tenure review. This bill removes DEI teaching, study, hiring and practice, while impeding the academic freedom to express ideas without risk of official interference or professional disadvantage.
VOTE NO on CS/HB 999 to ensure Florida continues to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our classrooms and beyond.
Click here to to take action on this bills.
Response to the Court
Ruling Overturning the Ban on Conversion Therapy
NASW-FL has issued a statement on a recent court ruling overturning a ban on conversion therapy for children under 18. We expect legislation banning conversion therapy to be introduced this session in the Florida Legislature.
NASW-FL will support this legislation as outlined in our 2021 Legislative Priorities. A special thanks to NASW members Allan Barsky, PhD, MSW and Fabio A. Naranjo, PhD, MSW for their input on the statement.
Click here to read the full statement.
LEAD Training: Preparing for Your Legislative Visits
On Feb. 27, NASW-FL held a virtual LEAD Training. The training is available to review:
Click here to access the recording.
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